8 new(ish) menswear stores to check out

Chicago men are paying more attention to how they look, and menswear stores carrying everything from street-chic sneakers and T-shirts to bespoke suits and tuxes have mushroomed here. Here are eight new stores to try.

Quebec-based Frank & Oak chose Bucktown for a popup store, which opened this summer and will stay put for a year or two. The store's ideal customers are 25- to 35-year-olds in creative fields—“guys who don't have office jobs,” says co-founder Ethan Song. Frank & Oak's modern classics include denim ($75 to $125), T-shirts and polos ($22 to $68) and leather jackets ($485). New for fall: Donegal sweaters, long camel coats to dress up or down, backpacks, shoes, and grooming products from Fellow Barber, Baxter of California, Crown Shaving and others.

George Vlagos launched Oak Street Bootmakers in 2010; two years later, he opened Independence, a 1,300-square-foot space packed with American-made shirts, jeans, trousers, jackets and more. Popular items include Oak Street Bootmakers footwear, such as beef-roll penny loafers ($328) made from original Bass Weejun dyes that Vlagos purchased at an auction; Levi's Vintage Clothing jeans ($250); soft, close-fitting jackets from Engineered Garments ($375); whimsical floral and print shirts from the same maker ($150 and up); and accessories such as Printed Image bandannas ($10) featuring fly-fishing ties and other bits of nostalgia. Customers range from flush young professionals to “older guys nostalgic for American-made clothing,” Vlagos says.

This Logan Square retailer features exclusives and hard-to-find labels from here and abroad. Among the goods: Sandqvist bags from Sweden ($115 to $380); bomber jackets in raw silk and suede from Germany's A Kind of Guise ($1,090); Common Projects sneakers in luxurious leathers ($398 and up); suiting from Oniki ($450 and up); and a single denim line, Natural Selection from London (from $200). Retail veteran and New York native Noah Zagor, 35, opened the shop in March 2014 with two partners; their aim, he says, is to get men talking about clothes as easily as they talk about great music and good restaurants. He adds that Meyvn targets younger men just diving into fashion as well as seasoned style pros dropping major dollars. “A big part of the store is, we don't talk down to anyone,” Zagor says. As for the name? It's the German-Yiddish spelling of “maven.”

Sport coats from Italy, handmade leather sneakers from Japan, and prep basics from the United States fill this 1,300-square-foot Andersonville shop, which opened in November. Its owner, Michael Jarowowski, did time at menswear pioneer Haberdash; Notre's style is “a hybrid between traditional and edgy,” says Rob Wilce, brand director at the store. Exclusives and hard-to-find labels include Hender Scheme leather sneakers from Tokyo ($1,000); tailored sport coats from Barena Venezia ($595); denim from Threesixteen, Simon Miller, Fabric Brand and APC ($185 to $350); jackets from a collaboration between Barbour and Japanese label White Mountaineering ($599 to $899); and sweaters, jackets and shirts from Japanese cult label Visvim ($250 to $2,650). More streetwear is on its way, and this fall, Notre will carry the entire APC line.

When Jeff Burkard was running a promotional-products firm, he found it difficult to gather enough well-made, coordinated staples to build a good wardrobe. He sold that company, DesignPac Gifts, in 2008 and in 2012 founded Boga. It's a store and a brand of upscale, modern/classic menswear designed in Chicago and made in Europe. The 2,200-square-foot shop offers shirts made from super-soft Giza 45 cotton ($125 to $290); denim for three body types ($198); plus trousers, jackets and vests. New for fall: denim dress shirts ($140) and double monkstrap boots made from buffalo and calf leather ($425). All shoes have matching belts, eliminating what Burkard calls a vexing menswear problem; for help with other problems, there's a full bar in the store.

Menswear is back at this Bucktown boutique after a nine-year absence. Find trousers, jackets and shirts by Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonk and local label Misanthrope; men's leather and down jackets by Isaac Sellam ($3,000); and colorful, patterned socks by Henrik Vibskov, sweaters and scarves ($55 to $300). Richman predicts her shoppers will be “skater boys who grew up,” hence the selection of street-style sneakers and T-shirts by KTZ, Rick Owens, Guidi, and German label Last Conspiracy. She's also stocked up on wool and cashmere unisex pieces from Van Beirendonk and Evam Eva. To finish the look: rings, necklaces and bracelets by Italian designer Goti, and felt hats by Austrian-born designer Reinhard Plank.

It's got an undisclosed location and a private hangout for big spenders; now all Oliver & Rowan needs is a secret knock. Third-generation tailor Joseph Mapes offers bespoke, locally made suits, slacks, jackets and golf wear (from $195 for a shirt to $2,000 for a suit). Mapes chose fabrics from three British mills and four Italian mills “so as not to be overwhelming,” he says. Fittings are private—one client at a time—and Mapes takes all the measurements. Complements to the handmade garments include Raleigh Denim jeans (from $205); Helm boots from Austin, Texas (from $395); Libero Ferrero leather goods ($105 for a wallet, $2,700 for a briefcase); Lee Allison ties (from $95); John Smedley London sweaters (from $205) and Church's shoes. Mapes says his clients are from “conservative environments” such as finance and law: “They pretty much leave it up to me on how to dress them.” Those who spend $15,000 or more a year get a key to the Bespoke Club, with a private roof deck and balcony, humidor, 60-inch television, billiards table and chef's kitchen.

Three college buddies opened this custom, bespoke and ready-to-wear clothier four years ago; last October, they relocated to the current 2,500-square-foot storefront at the 900 N. Michigan mall. The focus and feel: definitely British, with Penhaligon's London scents and Halcyon Days enameled bracelets (from $150); Fox handmade English umbrellas (from $155); Sterling & Burke bespoke bags ($2,800); and German-made Meyer trousers ($275). The shop specializes in custom and made-to-measure suits; fabric selections include English, Irish and Italian wools and English shirting. J. Toor will also custom-make polos from pique or interlock ($180 and up). A housewares section displays heritage-inspired Mitchell Black china; a small bar in the back pours bourbon and Scotch for frequent customers.